If you’re like us and love to read, then click here to score tons of free and discounted ebooks.
Do you love seeing great books turned into movies or television shows but feel slightly guilty when you haven’t read the book first? Then this list is for you. Check out all the books becoming movies in 2019, and plan your movie outings and book reading accordingly.
To complicate matters even further, with companies like Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Hulu creating adaptations as well, it’s easy to lose track of things. So we’ve included a list of the adaptations coming to your favorite streaming platforms. The best part about these adaptations is that you won’t even have to leave the house to catch them.
Books Becoming Movies in 2019
1. A Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron. Release Date: January 11
A dog travels 400 miles in search of her owner.
2. Between Shades of Gray (movie titled “Ashes in the Snow”) by Ruta Sepetys. Release Date: January 11
Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they’ve known.
3. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. Release Date: January 25
A boy in Malawi helps his village by building a wind turbine after reading about them in a library book.
4. Polar: Came from the Cold by Victor Santos & Jim Gibbons. Release Date: January 25
The world’s top assassin, Duncan Vizla, is settling into retirement when his former employer marks him as a liability to the firm. Against his will, he finds himself back in the game, going head to head with an army of younger killers.
5. The Sunlit Night by Rebecca Dinerstein. Release date: January 26
Set between New York City and the far north of Norway, The Sunlit Night follows American painter Frances and émigré Yasha as an unlikely pair who find each other in the Arctic circle. Frances has arrived to jumpstart her career while Yasha has come to bury his father in the land of the Vikings. Together under a sun that never quite sets, they bury the past and discover the future, and family, they didn’t know they had.
6. Native Son by Richard Wright. Release date: Sundance January 26
Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic.
7. The Rhythm Section by Mark Burnell. Release Date: February 22
A woman seeks revenge against those who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her family.
8. Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro. Release Date: February 14
A deactivated female cyborg is revived but cannot remember anything of her past life and goes on a quest to find out who she is.
9. The Knife of Never Letting Go (movie named “Chaos Walking”) By Patrick Ness. Release Date: March 1
A dystopian world where there are no women and all living creatures can hear each others’ thoughts in a stream of images, words, and sounds called Noise.
10. The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook. Release Date: March 15
Post World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German who previously owned the house.
11. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene. Release date: March 15
A bit of an outsider struggling to fit into her new surroundings, Nancy and her pals set out to solve the mystery, make new friends, and establish their place in the community.
12. The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester. Release Date: March 22
During World War II, an international convoy of 37 Allied ships, led by Commander Ernest Krause, cross the treacherous North Atlantic while being hotly pursued by wolf packs of German U-boats.
13. Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. Release Date: March 22
After her anxiety-ridden mother disappears, 15-year-old Bee does everything she can to track her down, discovering her troubled past in the process.
14. Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott. Release date: March 22
A pair of teenagers with life-threatening illnesses meet in a hospital and fall in love.
15. Three Seconds by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom. Release date: March 22
An ex-convict working undercover intentionally gets himself incarcerated again in order to infiltrate the mob at a maximum security prison.
16. The Visible Filth / Wounds by Nathan Ballingrud. Release date: March 29
Disturbing and mysterious things begin to happen to a bartender in New Orleans after he picks up a phone left behind at his bar.
17. The Best of Enemies by Osha Gray Davidson. Release date: April 5
Civil rights activist Ann Atwater faces off against C.P. Ellis, Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan, in 1971 Durham, North Carolina, over the issue of school integration.
18. Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Release date: April 5
Louis Creed, his wife Rachel, and their two children, Gage and Ellie, move to a rural home where they are welcomed and enlightened about the eerie “Pet Sematary” located near their home. After the tragedy of their cat being killed by a truck, Louis resorts to burying it in the mysterious pet cemetery, which is definitely not as it seems, as it proves to the Creeds that sometimes, dead is better.
19. After by Anna Todd. Release date: April 12
A young girl falls for a guy with a dark secret, and the two embark on a rocky relationship.
20. Breakthrough / The Impossible by Joyce Smith. Release date: April 17
When he was 14, Smith drowned in Lake Sainte Louis and was dead for nearly an hour. According to reports at the time, CPR was performed 27 minutes to no avail. Then the youth’s mother, Joyce Smith, entered the room, praying loudly. Suddenly, there was a pulse, and Smith came around.
21. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Release date: May 17
The Rosie Project explores the romantic and comedic errors of a man with undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome—Don Tillson—as he looks for a wife. As a professor of genetics, Don lives an orderly, predictable life in a protected academic setting.
22. A Dog’s Journey by W. Bruce Cameron. Release date: May 17
23. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. Release date: May 17
Sparks immediately fly between these two strangers who might never have met had fate not given them a little push. But will fate be enough to take these teens from star-crossed to lucky in love?
24. The New Mutants by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod. Release date: August 2
Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.
25. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Release date: August 9
Artemis Fowl II, a young Irish criminal mastermind, kidnaps the fairy LEPrecon officer Holly Short for ransom in order to fund the search for his missing father and restore the family fortune.
26. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. Release Date: August 9
A group of young teens attempt to solve a mystery that involves a series of spectacularly horrific deaths in their small hometown.
27. It (Second Half) by Stephen King. Release date: September 6
Twenty-seven years later, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away—until a devastating phone call brings them back.
28. The Kitchen comic book series by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle. Release date: September 20
The wives of New York gangsters in Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970s continue to operate their husbands’ rackets after they’re locked up in prison.
29. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Release date: September 27
A dog named Enzo recalls the life lessons he has learned from his race car driving owner, Denny.
30. The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn. Release date: October 4
An agoraphobic woman living alone in New York begins spying on her new neighbors only to witness a disturbing act of violence.
31. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Release date: October 11
A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
32. The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle. Release date: November 19
Career con artist Roy Courtnay can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.
33. Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. Release date: December 20
A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
34. The Call of the Wild by Jack London. Release date December 25
A domesticated St. Bernard/Scotch Collie dog named Buck is stolen from his Santa Clara, California, home and sold to freight haulers in the Yukon.
35. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Release date December 25
Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Release date: TBD
A girl discovers a magical garden hidden at her uncle’s house.
37. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. Release date: TBD
A quirky, homeschooled teenager shakes things up at her uptight high school in Arizona.
38. Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem. Release date: TBD
Set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, Motherless Brooklyn follows Lionel Essrog, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome, as he ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna.
39. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Release date TBD
The lives of two sisters living in France are torn apart at the onset of World War II.
40. David Copperfield / The Personal History of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Release date: TBD
David Copperfield is the story of a young man’s adventures on his journey from an unhappy and impoverished childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist.
41. The Irishman / I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt. Release date: TBD
A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.
42. Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos. Release date TBD
In the emotionally charged, wild, and humorous world of sixteen-year-old James Whitman, we see his struggle to overcome anxiety and depression by seeking advice from Dr. Bird—an imaginary pigeon therapist—in the wake of his sister’s disappearance.
43. How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran. Release date: TBD
This is the journey of teenager Johanna Morrigan, who reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde: a fast-talking, lady adventurer. She moves to London and gets a job as a music critic in the hope of saving her poverty-stricken family in Wolverhampton.
44. Lost Girls & Love Hotels by Catherine Hansahan. Release date: TBD
Haunted by memories of her twin brother’s descent into madness, Margaret courts danger with her fellow ex-pat misfits in dive bars and love hotels. When she falls for Kazu, a handsome Japanese gangster, she has a chance at redemption. But with the threat of a killer in the city, Margaret is in a race to find herself before she’s lost completely.
Book Adaptations Being Released outside the Cinemas
1. The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion. Netflix, 2019
A journalist quits her newspaper job and becomes an arms dealer for a covert government agency.
2. The Passage by Justin Cronin. FOX, January 2019
When a botched U.S. government experiment turns a group of death row inmates into highly infectious vampires, an orphan girl might be the only person able to stop the ensuing crisis.
3. The Laundromat / The Secrecy World by Jake Bernstein. Netflix, 2019
Follow a group of journalists who take part in unearthing 11.5 million files, linking the world’s most powerful political figures to secret banking accounts created to avoid taxes.
4. Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff. HBO Series, 2019
A young African-American travels across the U.S. in the 1950s in search of his missing father.
5. Otherhood / Whatever Makes You Happy by William Sutcliffe. Netflix, 2019
Three suburban moms who have long been friends decide to show up unannounced at the homes of their thirty-something layabout sons. Their goal: to swoop in and set things right. The result: a hilarious mix that will resonate with mothers who can’t turn a blind eye and their adult sons who can’t quite get it together.
6. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie. Amazon Prime Series, February 1, 2019
In 1933, retired detective Hercule Poirot is targeted by a taunting killer who sends letters signed “ABC”, which Poirot must decode in order to discover the identity of the murderer.
7. The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way. Netflix Series, February 15, 2019
The Umbrella Academy is a dysfunctional family of superheroes—Spaceboy, The Kraken, The Rumor, The Séance, The Boy, The Horror, and The White Violin—who work together to solve their father’s mysterious death while coming apart at the seams due to their divergent personalities and abilities.
8. Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey. BBC, 2019
A woman affected by dementia struggles to solve the disappearance of her friend
9. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Amazon Prime, 2019
A tale of the bungling of Armageddon features an angel, a demon, an eleven-year-old Antichrist, and a doom-saying witch.
10. Pure by Rose Cartwright. CBC, March 2019
Marnie is not okay. She’s had x-rated thoughts for the last 3672 days and she doesn’t know why or what they mean. When she jumps on a coach to London, she doesn’t know a soul, not even herself, but in the city she will build a new life.
11. The Expatriates by Janice Y K Lee. Amazon, 2019
A look at the personal and professional lives of a tight-knit group of expatriates living in Hong Kong.
12. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Hulu, Spring 2019
Limited series adaptation of the classic Joseph Heller novel.
13. Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie. BBC, Christmas 2019
Set in Ancient Egypt, a young woman suspects her priest father may be tied up in the death of a concubine.<
14. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. BBC, 2019
Two children embark on a magical adventure through parallel universes.
15. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. Netflix, 2019
The story of Violet and Theodore, who meet and change each other’s lives forever. As they struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past, they discover that even the smallest places and moments can mean something.
16. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. AMC Series, >April 30, 2019
Young Victoria “Vic” McQueen discovers she has the power to unlock portals that help her find lost objects. As she delves further into this hidden universe, she encounters many other “inscape travelers”—some benevolent, and some who have been corrupted by their power. When Vic encounters Charlie Manx, an immortal who stays that way by feeding off of the souls of children, she becomes his sworn enemy.
17. The Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons. HBO Series, 2019
The fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.
18. The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones. Netflix, 2019
A young ex-pat living in Tokyo is suspected of murder, which uncovers a mysterious love triangle.
19. The Boys by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson. Amazon Prime, 2019
An action story centered on a CIA squad tasked with keeping superheroes in line, by any means necessary.
Which books becoming movies in 2019 are you most excited about this year? Let us know in the comments below.
Happy reading!
The remake of ‘Catch 22’ can the remake top the first movie, come close, curious about the casting. And how the ‘Rosie Project’ does as a movie…
After by Anna Todd. I read this book on Word Pad about a year ago. It was an excellent book.
The Nightingale, Nancy Drew’s- Hidden Staircase Agitha Christie’s the ABC Murders and The Passage
The books becoming movies in 2019 that I am most interested in are: Between Shades of Gray/Ashes in the Snow; Native Son; The Rhythm Section; The After Math; The Good Shepherd; The Impossible/Breakthrough; Stargirl; The Nightingale; How to Build a Girl and the Classics The Secret Garden and Little Women. I do not subscribe to any Premium Channels or Netflix or Amazon Prime.